September 3, 2011 - Charleston (YRE)

Charleston was established in 1670 by English settlers from Bermuda.  In Colonial times, Charleston was an important hub for trade in deerskin, rice and indigo.

The first thing we came to on our walk was a farmer’s market.  It was very crowded, but in a good way that said “This is the place to be.”  There was food to take home, such as handmade raw pasta, honey, jam, local cheese and fresh eggs.  There was also food to eat right there, including doughnuts (cooked right in front of you), crepes, and gyros. The non-food items also looked very interesting.  I assume this is something you can only enjoy on Saturdays.

One of the faculty office buildings at the College of Charleston

We proceeded to the campus of the College of Charleston.  Founded in 1770, the campus has many historic buildings and is quite beautiful.  The enrollment is about 10,000.  Perhaps As a result of the presence of so many students, this section of Charleston is lively and full of shops and restaurants. 

On the campus of the College of Charleston

Cobblestone street

In addition to pedestrians and automobile traffic, the streets of Charleston are full of horse-drawn tour carriages and “rickshaws” (pedicabs).  There are still some cobblestone streets, paved with stones brought over from Europe as ships’ ballast.  Many of the sidewalks are slate or brick.

Cathedral of St. John the Baptist

The historic downtown area also contains many striking examples of museums and other public buildings, and especially, churches.  In fact, Charleston is known as the Holy City due to the prominence of churches on the low-rise cityscape, particularly the numerous steeples which dot the city's skyline, and because it was one of the few cities in the original thirteen colonies to offer religious tolerance, albeit restricted to non-Catholics. 

Door provides access to the veranda

After a while, we left the commercial district and walked through a residential area.  Many of the houses bore plaques testifying to their historical significance.  There are interesting architectural details everywhere you look.  Most of the lots are narrow and deep, so many of the houses were built with the “front” facing the side lot-line.  A common feature was a large front porch or veranda (facing the side lot-line), often on two or more levels of a residence.  In many cases, there would be a locked door, framed in on the side of the veranda, providing access to and from the street.  It looked funny because you could see around the side of the door to the verandas.  There were also some quaint alleys where many interesting old homes were tucked away.

At the tip of the Charleston peninsula, we arrived at White Point Gardens.  I would not have called this a garden.  It contained some trees, but no flowers or shrubbery.  It also contained various cannons and other military relics.  From here you could walk along the river to a point from which you could view Fort Sumter.

Pineapple fountain at Waterfront Park

Waterfront Park was located in the “wharf district” and provided a panoramic view of the harbor and the USS Yorktown, a WWII aircraft carrier.  There were some gorgeous fountains here, filled with kids escaping the heat.  (I was tempted!)

At this point, we had reached the oldest part of Charleston.  It included the Old Slave Mart, a theater dating back to 1736, and some more churches.  Next up was the City Market, established in 1788.  Once an actual market for meat and other staples, it is now a three-block long market that is full of t-shirts, cheap jewelry, and other imported junk.  It was jam-packed with tourists.  Why would you buy a Russian nesting doll or a knock-off purse from China as a memento of your visit to Charleston?

Dock  Street Theater

A few more old houses, a few more old churches, another cobblestone street, and we were back at the Visitor’s Center after a very long day.  Be sure to allow plenty of time for this walk.

By the way, Charleston was the first city in the US to establish Livability Court. A Livability Court is a municipal court focused on cases involving non-compliance with codes and standards about housing, waste, the environment, noise, animal control, zoning, traffic and tourism.

Rating:

Walk Route: A

Walk Documentation: A